He lives in the city of Hyderabad in the resource-rich and agriculturally-rich State of Andhra Pradesh. Because of its economic importance, and because of its geography, Hyderabad is the railway hub of India, from which railway lines travel north, south, east and west.
Indian Railways is the second largest rail network in the world; there are 1.4 million on the pay roll and the administration is divided into 16 zones. The Indian Railways has a mass transportation philosophy, and the 'General 2nd Class' tickets, for travel in plain seats in non-air-conditioned carriages, is a cheap and effective option for the millions of Indians wanting to travel relatively short distances between cities. For longer journeys, there is a cheap 'dormitory-style' sleeper carriage available. It is safe and clean and efficient, and is recommended for tourists on a budget as a great way to see the varied scenery around the vast countryside of India. No longer do you really see passengers on the roof or hanging on the side, which was once the classic photographic and film image of Indian Railways.
For those with greater means, or a desire for comfort, there are six other 'air conditioned' classes of travel available. depending on the type of train and the length of the journey, at a variety of higher prices.
Muthunoori Sundeep is the Assistant Registrar for the Indian Railways Claims Tribunal, and he deals with the many compensation claims across the entire Indian railway network, in cases where a family member has died or injured on the railways.
As well as these serious cases, his office is kept extremely busy with more mundane matters such as compensation for lost property and a myriad of other complaints. You can imagine, in a country the size of India, how much varied business the Claims Tribunal would need to process, even in a single day!
As a lay leader at the Baptist Church Hyderabad for 24 years developing Baptist youth work, leading to his recent appointment on the Executive Committee for Baptist Youth Work in India, Muthunoori Sundeep has joined the young folk in using their own style of music to attract them to services. He revealed that he, himself even plays the drums in church.
"The future of Baptist work in India is an open door," he noted. "There are millions of Indians who still have not heard the story of Jesus. This is part of our vision of ministry, to reach such peoples in our own backyard."
This interview with Muthunoori Sundeep on the Australian Missionary News IPTV can be viewed at either tv.bushorchestra.com/BWC/videopages/muthunoori_sundeep.html or www.safeworlds.net
